by Kenya Crawford, Family Health and Birth Center Patient and Community of Hope Board Member
Community of Hope is proud to announce that the Family Health and Birth Center (FHBC) joined the COH family earlier this year. Through this partnership, COH is able to offer primary care services in Ward 5 as well as gynecological care and comprehensive maternity care to families throughout DC.
FHBC is a welcoming, relaxed environment where women become empowered through their birthing and breastfeeding choices and is the only freestanding birthing center in Washington, DC. It’s also a place that capitalizes on the health of the family as a whole and nurtures and strengthens dreams and communities.
I come from a family of 10, growing up more or less disadvantaged; that experience has given me more strength than many will ever know and set the stage for my desire to heal others and lead the world into a new era. During high school and college, I was truly making a conscious effort to manifest my dreams into reality. I was a Rotary Scholar, a MVP for soccer and softball, and president of a science club. I was a good student, involved in many campus clubs, and participated in groundbreaking research thorough summer programs and internships ─ my future couldn’t have been brighter. Almost at the end of my third year in college, I became pregnant. I was mortified; all confidence I had instantly collapsed and I began to wonder if my dreams had been reduced to wishful thinking.
I had my first visit with a midwife at FHBC and my devastation almost immediately transformed into something beautiful, something more hopeful. When I walked in the door, I expected a place of cold stares and negative energies. It was quite the opposite. The staff was warm and nurturing. The women there were excited about their pregnancies, swapping each other’s stories, tips, and laughs.
The collective activities offered in group sessions, the assistance of peer counselors, and the programs offered from the adjacent partnering organizations such as the Healthy Babies Project (HBP) and the Developing Families Center (DFC) were all impressive facets that only scratched the surface.
My midwife allowed me to hear my unborn child’s heartbeat ─ a sound that I will never forget, a sound that inspired me to excel against all odds. The center provided the support I needed to not only inspire me to continue to aim at becoming a doctor, but to also heal women in psycho-social, spiritual, emotional, and therapeutic measures and in revolutionizing methods.
My experience with FHBC was enhanced in witnessing the birth of my nephew. As I watched my sister breathe through several hours of intense labor, I realized the value and importance of what I learned in group sessions and from the midwives. The birthing room was very spacious, warm and cozy, and complete with all the essential elements for tranquility, comfort, and bonding.
My own birthing experience was fast-paced. I felt one huge contraction; fifteen minutes later, I miserably dragged myself into the hospital, screaming in total fear and pain. I had been warned about the woes of labor, but I never knew it would all happen within fifteen minutes. I was panicking and everything I learned evaporated with the second contraction! Two minutes later it was time to push; I could see my daughter’s hair! One minute later, she was born.
My daughter is now two, and is the best thing that ever happened to me. FHBC continues to provide quality care to my daughter and me. Now I can look forward to FHBC expanding these valuable services through the merger with Community of Hope (COH) to ultimately provide prenatal and primary care, housing, dental, and educational services.
